The present invention relates to a container, and more particularly, to a paperboard container including a carton, among other things, fashioned from unitary blank of paperboard.
The carton, in a set-up condition, has a generally tubular shape and has moveable handles defined in the walls thereof. While the container art includes many different constructions, in general, none of them exhibits the advantage of the present invention for the specific purpose of a container for foodstuffs.
Prior art containers suitable for carrying elongated foodstuffs commonly include a handle for carrying configured as a vertically extending fin or tent-like structure. Such a handle commonly extends along the length of the container and substantially along a longitudinal axis thereof. In particular, U.S. Pat. No. 1,984,611, issued to Weaver; U.S. Pat. No. 2,074,638, issued to Black; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,655,707, issued to Jensen, all disclose such containers. However, there is a major disadvantage associated with these containers. Stacking of the assembled containers for use either before or after receipt of contents is nearly impossible. As a result, increased amounts of storage area is required. This, of course, increases costs to the user.
Therefore, there is a significant demand for a container for foodstuffs which is easy to manufacture, compact for shipping, easy to assemble for receiving contents, stackable, durable and having lockable end flaps for retaining the contents therein during transport which provides the advantages of low cost, high strength, stackability, ease of use, economized footprint and space requirements while increasing functionality.